


Bruises and Hearts

by connorssock



Series: On His Terms [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Concussions, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Ruined by Gavin, Soft Love, slowly falling in love, until it's not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 20:51:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16415735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/connorssock/pseuds/connorssock
Summary: A prank by Tina goes wrong and Gavin ends up with a concussion and the rest of the day off. He doesn't know what comes over him when he sends a text to Nines asking if he's busy. It doesn't matter thought because he falls asleep before he can even get a response.





	Bruises and Hearts

Concussions sucked. It wasn’t anyone’s fault really that Gavin had a killer headache and trouble focusing on things. Except maybe Tina’s. They were doing self-defence training and she thought it would be funny to snake up on Gavin and throw him onto the mat. Except he’d not been expecting it, yelped when his shoulder was yanked almost out of its socket and the world tipped around him. He’d landed awkwardly half on his shoulder, half on his head and off the crashmat. The next few minutes were a bit of a blur, people standing over him, waving hands in their faces until he’d growled out a slurred “’m fine” and staggered to his feet. Nobody dared stop him after that though Fowler did order him to go home and take a few days off.

So he was home, alone with a headache that pills didn’t seem to touch and he felt out of sorts. His shoulder still throbbed under the second icepack he’d cradled against it and the world felt like a hollow place. He knew it wasn’t anything serious, concussions were something he’d dealt with before and lived but Gavin was tired. The phone he’d been flipping in his hand stilled as he thought about calling someone. Usually it would have been Tina or Chris but they were both at work and he really didn’t want to talk to them – especially as this was all Tina’s fault in a way. There wasn’t anyone else he could rally message. Except. Before he could think more on it, Gavin quickly typed out a message and sent it.

_You busy?_

He didn’t expect an immediate answer and put his phone to the side. The last time he was this tired was probably when they planned the sting on a red ice gang and they were all running on snatches of sleep and an ungodly amount of caffeine. Under him, the sofa was soft and it didn’t take much to list to the side and let the icepack be held in place by the sofa. Before Gavin knew it, he was nodding off.

A sharp knock on the door jolted him upright. The icepack still held a bit of a chill so he couldn’t have been out long. After a few blinks Gavin pulled himself off the sofa and groaned as his headache thumped behind his eyes. The door lock clicked before he got to it and it swung open to reveal Nines standing there.

“The fuck?” Gavin greeted him with a frown. “Why you breaking in?”

The clench in Nines’ jaw seemed to loosen at the sight of him.

“You didn’t answer your phone. Nobody at the station had heard from you either and they told me what happened. I came to make sure you’re still breathing.”

“Doesn’t give you an excuse to break into my home. What if I wanted to hang from my ceiling peacefully a little more?” Anger bubbled through Gavin and the mother-hen act Nines was putting on. He should have been grateful someone gave enough fucks about him to come and check but somehow he was livid. Without another word he turned and stalked back to the sofa with a huff.

The door clicked shut and he hoped that Nines would get the hint and bugger off. Instead there was the soft thump of shoes being put to the side and the soft shuffle of sick clad feet across carpet. Not a single word was said as Nines sat down next to him on the sofa and waited.

Silence stretched between them. Gavin didn’t want to be the first to break it and Nines seemed content to just sit on his sofa and do nothing. Not even fidget. Slowly, the anger abated in Gavin, simmered down to something more like his usual grumpiness and the off feelings of earlier returned. But now it had an additional layer of guilt because he knew it was Nines’ day off. Who knew what androids did on their days off, but it most certainly wasn’t sitting with their concussed working partner in stony silence and doing nothing. However, the guilt didn’t outweigh the crushing loneliness of before and all too soon Gavin glanced over at Nines.

“Will you stay?” he asked in a small voice.

Nines turned to him with an almost smile.

“Does it look like I’m headed off anywhere else?”

The harshness of his words was countered by the way his hand slid out, palm up to rest between him and Gavin. It was left ignored as Gavin went back to staring at the opposing wall with his mind drifting between half formed thoughts. When he thought enough time had passed, he tentatively slipped his hand out across the distance between them and brushed their fingers together.

From the corner of his eye, Nines could just about make out the tips of a shy smile and a blush on Gavin’s face.

It wasn’t much of a surprise when Gavin tipped to the side a little, breathing slow and deep as he slumbered. As carefully as possible, Nines helped shift him so he was lying down. It also gave him the opportunity to give him a quick once over. No bruising around his eyes or behind his ears, no sign of bleeding either. In all likelihood it was a mild to moderate concussion and nothing to be overly worried about. But that knowledge didn’t stop the strange feeling in Nines’ chest as he watched Gavin. With nothing else to do, he pulled a throw over his sleeping form and settled on the floor next to the sofa.

Napping had never been Gavin’s strong point, he hated the way he woke groggy and disoriented, most of the time feeling worse than before he fell asleep. This time was no different, he let out a pitiful moan as his stomach churned and his head pounded. To make matters worse his shoulder felt ablaze and he contemplated getting it looked at by a professional. Something shifted on the floor next to him and it sent his heartrate skyrocketing.

“It’s only me,” Nines’ voice droned. It helped a little, knowing that the android was still just as insufferable and bland as ever. Gavin cracked his eye open and watched Nines who was still sat on the floor. There was a bucket next to him, in line with Gavin’s head so if he decided to throw up, all he’d have to do is roll to his side. While the gesture was practical and appreciated, it did double Gavin’s resolve to gain control over his rioting stomach.

“Why you still here?” he grumbled but accepted the hands that steadied him as he sat up.

“I have nothing better to do. Thought watching you suffer would be entertainment enough.”

“Prick,” Gavin bit out but there was no heat to it. The almost fond bitching they had going like most days was a welcome warmth in his chest.

A glass was pressed into his hand and he took a few sips. He didn’t remark on how there was sugar and water mixed into it; no doubt Nines had the time to look up electrolytes while he was asleep. Getting another icepack seemed like a good idea for his shoulder but before he could do more than shuffle to the edge of the sofa Nines was pressing him back down.

“Don’t exert yourself.”

“Do you expect me to piss on my sofa then? Will you turn put on a maid’s outfit and vanish it away?” Gavin grumbled but didn’t fight the hand stopping him.

“The only time you’ll see me in a maid’s outfit is when you’re collared and on your knees like a good pet.”

That idea shouldn’t have stirred something deep in Gavin but he was almost a professional at leaving undesirable feelings untouched so that’s what he did. Instead he snorted out a “that will be a day” and rubbed his shoulder.

“Let me,” Nines offered and without waiting he pulled Gavin’s hand away only to put his own ones there. His fingers nimbly danced over the sore joint, pressed against tense muscles before letting out a hum. He left Gavin on the sofa and after what sounded like three of the draws in the kitchen being thoroughly rummaged through, Nines returned with a tube of cream.

“This might help,” he said and, not waiting for permission, began to rub the cream over the ache. The cooling effect of the cream seeped into his muscles better than the icepack had done and Gavin let out a small moan of relief. Next to him, Nines didn’t say a word but his lips pressed into a flat line of grim satisfaction.

“I assume you’ve taken medication for your headache?”

The words cut through the haze of Gavin’s almost there thoughts. He hummed in question before the words actually made sense.

“Oh, yeah, yeah I have,” he mumbled. It felt like he should do something, maybe be more productive with his day but what little energy he had seemed to be sapped from him by Nines’ fingers.

“Stay?” he asked again, already forgetting he’d asked once before.

“You know I will,” Nines responded, softer this time. He pulled Gavin’s t-shirt sleeve back down over his shoulder and sat up on the sofa. It was a matter of gently rearranging them until Gavin was sprawled between his legs, back against chest.

“You’re solid.”

The observation drew a huff of amusement from Nines and wrapped his arms around Gavin. Hands wrapped around his arms and held tight. Words would have only ruined things so Nines simply let Gavin relax back against him. Fingers traced over his arms, tickled against his palm where they tried to find creases only humans really had.

“Bored already?” Nines rumbled in Gavin’s ear.

“Half tempted to watch something, but the TV is too bright.”

He felt a smile against his ear as Nines turned a palm up. The skin melted away in favour of displaying a small screen. It made Gavin laugh lightly as he held the arm steady, an excuse to wrap a hand around Nine’s wrist with one and cup the hand with the other.

“Better?”

“Perfect,” Gavin replied. Unthinking he turned his head and pressed a kiss to Nines’ cheek. He fought down the blush that reddened his face when he realised what he’d done. But he didn’t try to brush it off or cheapen it, instead, for the first time Nines could remember, Gavin contentedly snuggled back into him with a soft sigh.

**Author's Note:**

> Still on tumblr where I've done a few fics for Reed900 week too. Find them @connorssock.


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